New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has uncovered large-scale irregularities in the ownership pattern, financial resources and technical ability of five companies granted mining licences for offshore blocks bearing rare and atomic minerals.
The companies, while applying for mining licence in June 2010, had a common director, the Central government has told the Supreme Court. The Centre has argued that the five companies were registered after the government called private parties for mining licences in June 2010, says a CBI document.
At that time, the government was unaware that these minerals had strategic and defence value. The administering authority of these licences did not obtain mandatory clearances from various ministries, especially the Home Ministry, according to the CBI.
The Delhi High Court, in an order dated April 25, directed the Centre to execute the exploration licence of the companies as per the procedure within four weeks from the date of receipt of the order. The verdict came even after the Centre, in an affidavit dated April 16, told the Delhi High Court that it had taken a policy decision not to auction or re-grant the offshore blocks, bearing atomic minerals, to private parties.
Moving the Supreme Court against the High Court ruling, the Centre accused the companies of not submitting the proper supporting documents on the basis of which the marking was done in the evaluation sheet.
The companies were charged with not providing any document indicating the sanctioned line of credit from any financial institution or bank. One of the companies approached a leading financial services company seeking finance to carry out mining.
"This document was accepted as a document in support of the financial capability of the applicant company. Accordingly, a MoU was signed on September 23, 2010, which was received by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) in October 2010, after the date of submission of application for grant of licences on September 14, 2010," said an internal CBI document.
-Sumit Saxena
